


No Place Like Home For the Holidays

by Lush_Specimen



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Christmas Party, Crushes, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:16:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28472253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lush_Specimen/pseuds/Lush_Specimen
Summary: Rodimus distractedly agrees to plan the Lost Light’s annual Christmas party during a command meeting with Megatron and Ultra Magnus. Focused more on helping his crew with everyday tasks, he totally forgets about it until Megs mentions that he’s actually looking forward to the partytomorrow.Scrambling to get everything prepared in secret at the literal last minute, he accidentally crashes into Thunderclash and enlists his help.My Secret Solenoid gift for@tjdrewthis
Relationships: Rodimus | Rodimus Prime/Thunderclash
Comments: 34
Kudos: 28
Collections: Secret Solenoid '20-'21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was so super stoked to see that one of your requests was for some sweet teamwork between Rodimus and Thunderclash as they work together to secretly plan a holiday party for the crew!! Not only is Rodiclash fluff in my wheelhouse, it IS my entire wheelhouse!! I had a blast writing this for you and I really hope that you enjoy it!!

Rodimus put a few finishing touches on another awesome dragon doodle in his datapad. He narrowed his optics and evaluated his sketch lines. Yeah. It needed more flames.   
  
He had been trapped in this exceedingly tedious meeting forever! Possibly longer.   
  
Ultra Magnus discovered a discrepancy in the fonts on the various signage throughout the Lost Light. Apparently, the galaxy safety standard called for Helvetica but several of theirs were printed in Comic Sans. He emphatically ordered an emergency meeting of the command staff. Rodimus tried his best to weasel out of it but Megatron insisted that both co-captains be present for any matters concerning ship safety. While he would normally agree, Rodimus couldn’t get behind the idea that Comic Sans was a threat to his crew... or anyone in the history of ever.   
  
Rodimus added a few more stylized swirling flames. He smiled despite the in-depth discussion droning in his audials about serif versus sans serif. At least his drawing was turning out righteously radical!   
  
“Rodimus? Did you hear me?” Ultra Magnus asked.   
  
“What?? Yeah! Of course! Totally! I got it!” Rodimus jerked upright. He folded his hands in front of him, covering his datapad full of impromptu artwork, and did his best to look captainly.   
  
“Are you sure?” Megatron asked, narrowing his optics. “That’s a lot of work.”   
  
“Yeah. I totally got this!” Rodimus grinned, wondering what exactly he had just agreed to.   
  
“Alright then. The final item of this meeting is complete. Rodimus will be in charge of planning the Lost Light’s annual Christmas party.” Ultra Magnus jotted a few notes into his own pristine datapad.   
  
Relief swept over Rodimus. Parties he could handle!   
  
“You know, I’ve never attended a proper Christmas party.” Megatron mused. “Although I spent many years on Earth, I never explored the native cultures as much as many of the members of our crew.”   
  
“You’re gonna love it, Megs!” Rodimus grabbed his datapad full of doodles and bounced to his feet, taking the opportunity to make a break for it. “A true Christmas party has an overall warm vibe filled with fun decorations, fancy snacks, classic music-”   
  
“Oh! I’ll select the music!” Ultra Magnus eagerly offered. “If you don’t mind, of course.”   
  
“Not at all, Mags! Now one knows music like you do! I trust any choices that you make!” Rodimus edged closer to the door.   
  
“Thank you, Rodimus!” Ultra Magnus nodded. “I already have several playlists in mind.”   
  
“I knew I could count on you!” Rodimus winked and scooted halfway out the door.   
  
“And I suppose that I could send the invitations?” Megatron asked.   
  
The uncertainty in his co-captain's voice stopped Rodimus in his tracks.   
  
“Sure, Megs. You’re great with words. I’m sure that you’ll write up a fantastic invite!”   
  
“Do you think- I mean- I don’t want people to avoid the party if the invitation comes from me.”   
  
“Relax, Megs.” Rodimus laid a hand on his co-captain's broad shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. “You are my co-captain and the Lost Light is your home too. Our crew trusts you as much as they trust me.”   
  
“Now _that’s_ reassuring.” Ultra Magnus mumbled.   
  
“Mags!” Rodimus gasped. He bit his lip to stifle a giggle. “Be still my spark!! Was that sarcasm?!”   
  
“Was it? Could you tell? Am I using it properly??” Ultra Magnus’ face lit up. “I’m dabbling in less literal methods of communication and finding it thrilling and terrifying. I’d like to try a metaphor, but I don’t know if I’m ready.”   
  
“Would you like me to explain proper metaphor construction? I don’t have anything scheduled for after this meeting?” Megatron asked.   
  
“I’m free as well. I would appreciate the assistance of a skilled writer such as yourself. Thank you.”   
  
“And on that note, I’ll leave you to your linguistics! Catch you two later!” Rodimus darted out the door before he got sucked into another tedious discussion.   
  
His crew deserved the best Christmas party ever and he planned to give it to them! He tried pinning down a few ideas in his mind and quickly got overwhelmed. A sparkling array of possibilities swirled around in his brain like the glitter in a dazzling snow globe. Maybe returning to his hab suite and finishing his dragon sketch would help him focus. After all, he had plenty of time to figure things out.   
  
  
**Two Weeks Until the Christmas Party...**   
  
Rodimus raced around the corner in hot pursuit of Drift and Misfire in the midst of a fast-paced game of Shoot Shoot Bang Bang. Drift and Misfire were dying for a game but none of the other Scavengers wanted to play right now and they needed at least one more player. When Drift mentioned their dilemma, Rodimus offered to join right away. Besides the fact that playing was a blast, a true captain must help out his crew in their times of need!   
  
Slamming into an immovable object around the blind turn, Rodimus landed hard on his aft. His foam dart gun clattered across the floor.   
  
“OW!”   
  
“Rodimus?” Ultra Magnus easily lifted him to his feet as Drift and Misfire escaped down the winding stairwell. Their laughter echoed behind them. “How are the plans for the Christmas party coming along?”   
  
“Huh? Oh! Great! Awesome! Everything’s under control!” Rodimus scooped up his foam firearm and fidgeted, eager to resume his chase before they set up an ambush for him.   
  
“Glad to hear it! I’ve created a few more playlists and Megatron nearly has the invitations done.”   
  
“Good job! I knew that I could count on you!” Rodimus winked and bolted.   
  
“Let me know if you need any help!” Ultra Magnus called after him.   
  
Rodimus made a mental note to totally get started on the party plans... right after he wins this game!   
  
  
**One Week Until the Christmas Party...**   
  
“Damn it, Lug! What’s in these crates? Rocks?!” Rodimus struggled with an insanely weighty tower of boxes. They were piled so high, that he couldn’t even see where he was going. When he volunteered to help Anode and Lug move a few scientific samples he was expecting a small tray of petite vials.   
  
“Guessed it on the first try!” Lug grinned.   
  
“Wait?! Seriously??” Rodimus stared at her and nearly collapsed under the weight. Although his struts strained to carry the load, his crew asked for help and he wasn’t about to let them down!   
  
“Sure! I mean they’re gems but all gems are literally stones. So yeah, rocks!” Lug shrugged. She had one massive crate hefted up on her stout shoulders, balanced expertly on one hand. Her other hand was lovingly help by her conjunx as the three of them walked down the hall.   
  
“Very super-fancy rocks!” Anode flashed a sly smile. She had a single teensy-tiny little box tucked under her arm.   
  
“Very super-heavy rocks!” Rodimus grunted, resituating his grasp on the teetering tower.   
  
“Aww. They’re not _that_ heavy. But we really appreciate your help, el capitano! These gems stones that we liberated from our last shore leave could be immensely valuable.”   
  
“Liberated? From where?!” Rodimus wobbled.   
  
“Don’t worry about!” Anode winked.   
  
Wondering if he should in fact be very worried about it, Rodimus stumbled through the narrow doorway. When his foot bumped into an someone, he staggered and lost his balance.   
  
“Ahhh!” Rodimus tripped and fell, buried under a pile of carefully packaged gemstones.   
  
“Rodimus! Oh my goodness! Let me help!”   
  
The loadbearer abilities that allowed Minimus Ambus to wear the Ultra Magnus armor granted him great strength despite his tiny stature. He effortlessly lifted the stack of heavy crates with one small arm. Although he usually wore the Ultra Magnus armor, some days he chose to use his irreducible form. Rodimus supported whatever decision made him comfortable but always called him Mags regardless of his appearance. Although he wasn’t crazy about the informality of it at first, Minimus had come to cherish Rodimus’ nickname for him as a sign of affection.   
  
“Whew! I didn’t see you, Mags! Sorry about that!” Rodimus sagged with relief as Minimus took the weight off of him.   
  
“No need to apologize.” Minimus helped Rodimus up with his free hand, still balancing the absurdly heavy tower of crates with one arm.   
  
“Thanks, Mags!” Rodimus dusted himself off and accepted the crates back.   
  
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Minimus asked, watching Rodimus precariously balance the boxes in his arms.   
  
“Nah. I got it!”   
  
“How about with the party?”   
  
“Party??” Rodimus stopped short.   
  
Minimus glared at him.   
  
“Oh! Right! The Christmas party! No! I got it! Totally! It’s gonna be great! You’re going to be so surprised!!”   
  
“Good! I’m glad to hear it! Megatron send out the invitations today! It sounds like everything is in order.”   
  
“Yep! In order! See ya around, Mags!” Rodimus hustled away with Anode and Lug’s crates. He needed to get started on the party plans as soon as he finishes helping out.   
  
  
**One Day Before the Party...**   
  
Rodimus lazily stretched in the captain’s chair. The telltale swish of the bridge doors indicated the official changing of the guard. Megatron had arrived precisely on time to start the night shift.   
  
“Hey, Megs!” Rodimus leapt up. “Got the seat all warmed up for you!”   
  
Megatron narrowed his optics and glared at him, on guard for some prank. Rodimus rolled his optics and sighed. You offer someone a trick can of energon filled with a spring-loaded snake one time and they stay suspicious forever.   
  
“Relax! I’m just messing around!” Rodimus playfully cuffed his shoulder. “It's not like the chair is on fire or anything. At least not this time!”   
  
“My apologies. I guess I do need to relax a bit.” Megatron’s expression softened and a fond smile spread across his face. “You know, I’m really looking forward to the party tomorrow night.”   
  
Rodimus froze.   
  
“When I first volunteered to send the invitations, I was concerned that no one would respond. But you were right. Every single crew member sent in their rsvp. Well, Whirl sent a bunch of rude pictures, but I’m pretty sure that means he’s coming. Thank you for encouraging me.”   
  
“No prob.” Rodimus automatically replied, staring blankly past Megatron.   
  
_TOMORROW?!_   
  
“You’re doing a splendid job keeping the preparations a surprise. Our crew loves gossip and I haven’t heard a peep about any of your plans.”   
  
_Because there aren’t any plans!!_   
  
Rodimus’ brain screamed. Every time he tried to get things together, he always got distracted. One thing led to another and another and another until he apparently ran out of time! He had to hurry! He could totally throw a Christmas party together in a little under 24 hours! After all, he’s done more with less.   
  
“I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”   
  
_ME TOO!!_   
  
“I’m super stoked for you to see it all come together!” Rodimus plastered a fake grin on his face and shuffled towards the exit. It will definitely be a big surprise for everyone, himself included. “Well, I have to get going! Loads of last-minute details and all!”   
  
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.” Megatron settled into the captain’s chair and pulled up the command log to review the day’s events.   
  
“Yep! Tomorrow! At the party! That I have completely under control! With tons of secret plans! That are all turbo amazing and will most definitely stun you speechless!” Rodimus shot Megatron a couple of finger guns and bolted off the bridge.   
  
As soon as the doors swished shut behind him, Rodimus broke into a run. When he put a little distance between himself and the bridge, he transformed and tore down the hall in his sleek speedster alt mode. Channeling his inner Dom Toretto, Rodimus gunned his engine. Praying that Mags wasn’t out for an off-duty stroll, he screeched around the corners and jumped down the stairs breaking the posted speed limit by a wide margin. He sped directly towards the person he always ran to when he was in trouble.   
  
At this hour in the evening, Drift should be just finishing up with vespers.   
  
Rodimus skidded to a halt in front of the Lost Light’s Spectralist Chapel. He transformed and frantically burst into the doors.   
  
“DRIFT!! IT’S A CLASS FIVE EMERGENCY!! I NEED HELP!!” Rodimus shouted as soon as the doors sealed shut behind him.   
  
“I’m here! What do you need?” A huge bot scrambled up from his mediation pose and immediately stood at the ready. He towered over Rodimus.   
  
“TH- THUNDERCLASH?! You’re not Drift!!” Rodimus yelped.   
  
“Umm... No? I’m sorry?” Thunderclash offered a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his helm. “What gave it away? The height? The colors? Or-”   
  
“The fact that the first thing you said was _'what do you need?’_ Instead of _‘Primus have mercy on my spark, Roddy! What did you do this time?!’_ Where is Drift anyway?”   
  
“I dunno. He had just finished vespers when I stopped in to meditate. I could call him for you? Would that help?”   
  
“No. Wait a second.” Rodimus thoughtfully tapped his chin. He always relied on Drift, which meant that Drift never got to experience any of the surprises that he was supposed to do by himself. Maybe he could get someone else to help him this time as a Christmas gift for Drift.   
  
“Were you serious about your offer to help me? Without any knowledge about what I was going to ask?”   
  
“Absolutely!” Thunderclash grinned. “You’re my captain. Ride or die!”   
  
“Holy frag!” Rodimus stared at Thunderclash. “Did- did you just quote ‘Fast and Furious’ at me?”   
  
“Um- yeah? I love those movies. Even the spin-offs are fun.”   
  
Rodimus grinned. That decided it! 

Although they never really worked together before, he would accept Thunderclash’s generous offer of unconditional assistance. They had gotten to know each other a bit over the past few weeks. Thunderclash’s natural charm and guileless good nature had thawed Rodimus’ initial jealousy. Once you got past the heroic reputation, Thunderclash was just another ridiculous member of his crew. During one of Rewind’s movie nights featuring bad monster flicks, Thunderclash and Rodimus had a blast riffing on the Sharktopus Trilogy. Rodimus laughed so hard he thought he was going to die. He found himself looking forward to spending some time with him. 

Besides, anyone that referenced Fast and Furious without prompting was alright in his book.   
  
“Just remember,” Rodimus lowered his voice to a Vin Diesel-esque growl, “I don’t have friends, I’ve got fambly.”   
  
“And I’m honored to be considered a member of you fambly! Let’s ride out!” Thunderclash imitated Rodimus’ impression and laughed. His baritone rumble tickled Rodimus’ frame. Despite the overwhelming workload looming over him, Rodimus couldn’t help but smile.   
  
“Okay! We gotta get moving! We don’t have much time!” Rodimus grabbed Thunderclash by the hand and dragged him along.   
  
Thunderclash glowed bright pink. Rodimus made a mental note to have to get Perceptor run a few diagnostics. Something strange is going on with the ship’s lighting. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thunderclash eagerly agrees to help Rodimus and they quickly work together to find creative ways to implement all of Rodimus' party plans.
> 
> Also, Riptide bakes loads of festive pastries!

Rodimus dragged Thunderclash down the corridor, hurrying towards Swerve’s   
  
“So... what exactly do we need to do?” Thunderclash asked. Even with his longer limbs, he had to jog to keep up with Rodimus.   
  
The way Thunderclash casually said “we” sent a strange flutter through Rodimus’ spark. What was that about?!   
  
“We’ve got a ton of stuff to do! I don’t even know where to start! We have to go to Swerve’s. And get decorations. And make snacks. And figure out drinks. And then set the whole thing up with tables and chairs and whatever else! And I want everything to be really special!” Rodimus’ mind raced. So many things needed to happen at the same time. He struggled to put them all in a manageable order.   
  
“Wait? Is this about the Christmas party tomorrow? The one Megatron sent invitations for?”   
  
“Yeah. I volunteered to plan everything, but one thing led to another and I kinda ran out of time. I told Megs and Mags that everything is done, but I got nothing...” Rodimus ducked his head. This is usually the point where Drift scolded him for procrastinating. It’s not like he totally forgot about it. He thought about organizing the party plans all the time but could never quite get started.   
  
“Okay. Let’s get the decorations first. Riptide is working the late shift at Swerve’s tonight. I’ll call him and ask that he clear out any stragglers so we can start setting up as soon as we get there.”   
  
“That’s it?! You’re just gonna dive right into party prep?” Rodimus halted and stared at his gigantic multicolored companion. “You’re not going to give me a hard time about waiting to prepare all this stuff until the last minute?”   
  
“Why? One thing that I’ve learned by surviving a terminal injury is the only time we truly have is the present moment. Don’t worry about what you didn’t do before or what you’re going to do later, focus on what you can do right now.”   
  
“Damn, Thunders! That’s both practical and profound at the same time!”   
  
Thunderclash shrugged with a shy smile.   
  
“Okay! Call Riptide and then head over to Swerve’s. I’ll grab the decorations and meet you there. And please don’t tell Megs or Mags that I messed up again.” 

“You didn’t mess up. We’ve got plenty of time to figure everything out.”   
  
“Thanks.” Rodimus grinned and jogged towards the nearest stairwell. Even though they had so much to do in such a short amount of time, Thunderclash’s casual confidence put him at ease. They can totally pull this off!! 

After taking a short time to make his call, Thunderclash reappeared at his side.   
  
“Maybe I should come with you?” Thunderclash asked hopefully. “If- if there’s a lot of stuff, I could help carry it.”   
  
Rodimus vaulted down the stairs two at a time. Recalling his struggles to carry Anode and Lug’s sample crates, he decided that having someone with bigger arms might not be such a bad idea. And everything was a little more fun with company.   
  
“Good thinking! We’ll go together!”   
  
Thunderclash beamed and happily trotted after him.   
  
They hurried down into the large storage hangers and quickly retrieved an absurd number of decorations. Luckily Ultra Magnus organized the party supply storage area by holiday, making the Christmas section easy to find. Rodimus wanted Swerve’s to look like a Hallmark movie exploded at the North Pole. If Megatron was looking forward to a proper Christmas party, Rodimus would give him a proper Christmas party!   
  
Quickly grabbing everything they could carry, which thanks to Thunderclash’s big strong arms, was practically everything, they hurried to Swerve’s.   
  
Bursting into the empty bar, Rodimus skidded to an abrupt stop.   
  
“WHOA!! Something smells super delicious!!”   
  
The intoxicating aroma of sweet holiday spices filled the entire room. A heady mix of cinnamon and clove mingled with the sharp freshness of citrus and ginger all underscored by traditional Cybertronian mineral flavors of warm copper and earthy magnesium. Rodimus’ mouth watered.   
  
“Oh my gosh! You’re here!!” Riptide bounded out of the kitchen area with a tray of petite energon pastries. The frilly ruffles on his turquoise apron bounced as he excitedly rushed towards them.   
  
“Two questions.” Rodimus dropped his boxes in a haphazard pile. “One: what smells so incredibly good? And two: what the frag are you wearing?”   
  
“I’m baking!” Riptide exclaimed. “I’ve been binge watching all the seasons of “Bake Off” and there’s so many pastry recipes that I want to try. I know you probably have all kinds of special plans for the party snacks, but please let me make them! Please! Please! Please! I’ll do a good job! I promise!! Just try one! Pleeeeeease!!!”   
  
Rodimus took one of Riptide’s energon spice macarons. Half red and half green, the festive little bite shimmered with a sprinkling of gold luster dust. The delicate cookie perfectly balanced the crisp shell with interior chewiness and the creamy carbon filling simply melted in his mouth.   
  
“Sweet Primus! Riptide! These. Are. SO GOOD!” Rodimus grabbed another one and stuffed it in his mouth. Tiny flames danced along his spoiler. “I would love it if you made the party snacks! Pastries this delicious will make the party extra special!”   
  
“EEEEEE!! I’M SO EXCITED!!” Riptide squealed, hopping up and down with glee. “It’s like I’m on “Bake Off”!! One of the challenges in Season 2 was to make hundreds of pastries for a fancy party on short notice!”   
  
“Truth be told...” Rodimus grinned sheepishly as he snatched another pastry, a copper citrus cream puff. “I didn’t have any plans for the food. Thank you so much for offering to help. That checks a big thing off my list.”   
  
“No problem! As soon as Thunders told me we had to prepare for the party tomorrow, I started making a few recipes for you to sample. I’m so happy that you like them!! This is gonna be so much fun!!!” Riptide practically vibrated with excitement, motion rippling through his ruffled apron.   
  
“What about my second question?” Rodimus licked his lips and grabbed two hot spicy rust cookies. He tossed one to Thunderclash who caught it with ease and popped it in his mouth with a smile.   
  
“Oh! This is my apron!” Riptide beamed. He pirouetted and the fabric twirled lightly around him. A pattern of grinning sharks in a myriad of shades of blue covered the apron and the ruffled borders were meticulously tailored to fit Riptide’s frame. “It’s just like my favorite pastry chef’s from Season 6 of “Bake Off”! Except mine is way awesomer because it has sharks on it! Thunderclash made it for me!”   
  
“You made that?” Rodimus turned and stared at Thunderclash who was currently rummaging through their decorations.   
  
“Sure. I picked up a lot of hand crafts being stuck in bed on account of my injury. No sense in sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I like to learn new creative skills.” Thunderclash shrugged.   
  
Riptide bounded back into the kitchen, eager to try more recipes, trailing his ruffled apron strings behind him.   
  
“That was really sweet.” Rodimus said as he joined Thunderclash sorting out the decorations. He thought about Thunderclash’s appreciation of the arts and contemplated showing him his datapad full of sketches. Sometime after they got everything ready for the party of course!   
  
“The rust cookie?” Thunderclash licked his lips. “They are my favorite!”   
  
“No, stupid! You!” Rodimus playfully bumped his shoulder. “First for making such an adorable apron but mainly for telling your secret-pastry-chef-best-friend that we needed some goodies for the party. I had no idea what to do for snacks, except that I wanted them to be amazing, and Riptide’s baking is pure perfection.”   
  
“I might have let a few things slip to Riptide. He is extremely happy to show off his baking skills; in case you couldn’t tell.” Thunderclash grinned. “Don’t worry. It’ll all come together.”   
  
“But there’s an impossible amount of work to do.”   
  
“But that’s exactly what you do. Make the impossible possible. Just tell me what else we need and we’ll figure it out, one thing at a time. I know you have all kinds of amazing ideas. You specialize in the big picture and let me figure out the logistics.”   
  
“Thanks! I appreciate your confidence!” Rodimus smiled. “Okay! Moving right along. Riptide has got our snacks covered, so we can check that off the list. We’ve still got to decorate and figure out what to have for drinks. Although they are both fantastic bartenders, I don’t want to ask Swerve or Misfire. Everyone will know that we’re pulling this whole party together last minute before I hang up the comm.”   
  
“Hmm... How about we call Nautica to help with the drinks? She loves high-end cocktails. I bet she could help mix up some kind of unique punch.”   
  
“Great idea!”   
  
Rodimus made the call while Thunderclash dumped out more decorations. By the time Rodimus turned around, glittery golden garland tangled around Thunderclash’s broad shoulders. Undeterred by masquerading as a rather impressive Christmas tree, Thunderclash continued sorting piles of different decoration types. Testing the numerous sets of multicolor lights cast the entire room in a cozy rainbow glow.   
  
Watching Thunderclash diligently prep decorations brought a smile to Rodimus’ face and a warm sensation to his spark. The instant Rodimus burst into the chapel wailing about an emergency, Thunderclash was ready to help, no questions asked. He gave up whatever plans that he had for this evening simply because Rodimus needed someone. So far, they made a great team. Thunderclash had an uncanny ability to help Rodimus’ wild plans become a reality by addressing one small thing at a time.   
  
Rodimus knew what he wanted, but often found focusing difficult. Thunderclash asking him to verbally describe his ideas helped him narrow down the tasks at hand.   
  
“Nautica’s on board! She’ll be right over. Thank Primus she stays up all night reading. It’s already getting pretty late.”   
  
“Really? It doesn’t feel late at all.” Thunderclash looked up, covered in so many decorations that Rodimus couldn’t keep a straight face. He thought last minute party planning would be incredibly stressful, but Thunders’ laid-back attitude made it a walk in the park. A snow covered, sparkling Christmassy park lit with the soft glow of petite-colored lights.   
  
“Time flies when you’re having fun!” Rodimus laughed, hanging an ornament on Thunderclash’s helm to go with all tangled garland. “I see you got a head start decorating. Let’s string some lights on the ceiling. We can use those for lighting instead of the regular overhead light fixtures for a more festive glow. I’m sure Swerve has a ladder around here somewhere?”   
  
“Please! You don’t need a ladder. You’ve got me!” Thunderclash chuckled. He easily lifted Rodimus up on to his shoulders.   
  
“Whoa! Are you sure? I’m not exactly a mini-bot!”   
  
“You’re fine. Besides, it will go a lot faster if you don’t have to constantly climb up and down to reposition a ladder. Let’s string the gold metallic stuff with the lights. They really sparkle together!” 

“I guess you could say that they bring out the best in each other?” Rodimus grinned thinking about more than garland as he accepted the ends of the decorations that Thunderclash offered to him. 

“Exactly!” Thunderclash beamed.   
  
Thunderclash carried the spools of lights on one arm and the shiny garland on the other. Rodimus stood on his broad shoulders and fastened it to the ceiling in festive scallops. Working together, they made quick progress and soon they had spanned the entire room several times. Rodimus had just finished fastening the last end when Nautica and Velocity burst in the door.   
  
“Hey! Nautica! Thanks for- whoops!” Rodimus wobbled when he turned to wave. He lost his balance and fell backwards.   
  
“Roddy!” Thunderclash spun around and dove to catch him.   
  
Thunderclash grabbed Rodimus and wrapped him up in those big strong arms. In his haste to rescue Rodimus, he stumbled over a pile of boxes and lost his balance as well. They toppled over together and crashed into a mound of silver tinsel and assorted ornaments. Brightly colored baubles scattered in all directions.   
  
“Are you alright?” Thunderclash asked, concern shining in his deep magenta optics. Glittery tinsel stuck to his cobalt helm and the newly strung lights reflected a rainbow on his multicolor paint work.   
  
“Yeah. Thanks for the catch.” Rodimus smiled. Warmth raced through his frame.   
  
“It was my pleasure.”   
  
A bright light flashed, blinding them both.   
  
“Sweet Solus Prime! You two are adorable!” Velocity laughed.   
  
“I think the word you are searching for is: ridiculous! Better take another just to be sure.” Nautica snapped another picture. “This shot is totally going on the cover of the Christmas edition of the ‘Lost Light Insider’.”   
  
“Can’t you see that we are working here!” Rodimus huffed.   
  
Despite all the tasks left to do, he found himself surprisingly cozy and a bit reluctant to get up. They had already been working for hours and he didn’t realize that he was tired until he stopped moving for a second. Cuddled comfortably in Thunderclash’s protective embrace, covered with sparkling decorations, Rodimus had to agree with both Velocity and Nautica. Although, he wasn’t sure if they were adorably ridiculous or ridiculously adorable.   
  
“I know right! It looks like you’re working _real_ hard,” Nautica snickered. “Don’t worry, we’re here to save the day! I’ve got a few fantastic recipes for triple filtered engex golden sangria, toasted hot chocolate, and an engex-free magnesium mule! And maybe a few surprises, depending on the opinion of my official taste-tester.”   
  
“Reporting for duty!” Velocity snapped into a rigid salute and then burst into laughter.   
  
To Rodimus’ unexpected dismay, Thunderclash finally rolled over and released him. Rodimus hopped up and helped Thunderclash to his feet. Technically they still had plenty of preparations to finish. As much as he wanted to take a break, there’s no time for lounging around yet! But maybe later? Once everything was finally ready??   
  
“Thanks for coming of such short notice.” Rodimus said to Nautica as he pulled some tinsel off Thunderclash. The static charge generated by tumbling through the decorations made loads of it cling to his large frame. He’ll be finding strands of tinsel in his seams for weeks.   
  
“No problem. Thank you for asking. It gives me a chance to show off a little. Come on, Lotty! We’ve got work to do!” Nautica dragged Velocity towards Swerve’s stock room.   
  
“Well, the drinks are in good hands.” Thunderclash said as he gently untangled a bit of garland from Rodimus’ spoiler. His cobalt fingers moved with careful tenderness belying his enormous size.   
  
“Uh- Yeah-” Rodimus mind blanked. Tiny flames shimmered along his spoiler. His engine purred.  
  
“Are you okay? You did fall kind of hard.” Thunderclash asked, carefully studying Rodimus. He lightly brushed a bit of glitter from his shoulders.   
  
“Y- yeah- I totally didn’t expect to fall at all, let alone so hard. But I’m okay!” Rodimus shook himself. Focus! “Let’s- let’s set up the tables for the refreshments!”   
  
“Aye aye, captain!” Thunderclash saluted. Rodimus threw an ornament at him.   
  
After they had rearranged most of the furniture in the room, Rodimus stood back and directed Thunderclash to make minor adjustments. Once the arrangement fit Rodimus’ vision, they covered everything with festive red and green patterned table clothes spun through with glittery metallic threads.   
  
“I’ve got a few more ideas, but I don’t know how to make them work.” Rodimus admitted as they put the finishing touches on the tables.   
  
“Tell me what you’re thinking. I know we can make it happen! One thing at a time!” Thunderclash replied with an easy lopsided grin that made Rodimus’ spark do flips in his chest.   
  
The rest of the afternoon passed by in a blur. Rodimus brought up his different ideas, like screening movies or setting apart a little nook for games, and Thunderclash helped him focus on the practical execution of his vision.   
  
They had so much fun tossing ornaments at each other, chatting about favorite Christmas movies, and arguing about which of Riptide’s pastries was the best, Rodimus didn’t even realize how much time had passed until Minimus Ambus showed up at the door exactly one hour to the millisecond before the scheduled start time.   
  
“Rodimus, I hope you-” Minimus froze mid-sentence. His crimson optics widened and the festive lights played across his immaculately polished green and white armor.   
  
“Minimus? Sir?” Thunderclash asked with concern. He whirled around to Rodimus and frantically whispered, “I think we broke him!”   
  
“Relax! He’s fine!” Rodimus snickered. “Aren’t ya, Mags!”   
  
“Of course!” Minimus shook his head and snapped out of his shock. “I expected something special, but Rodimus!! You have truly outdone yourself!”   
  
“Thanks, Mags! We’ve got the music player all set up for you right over there. And we’ve got freshly baked snacks, custom mixed drinks, games, movies, and loads of decorations. It all turned out fantastic but I had a ton of help!” Since he couldn’t reach his shoulders, Rodimus hooked an arm around Thunderclash’s waist. The big bot lit up bright pink. This time Rodimus was sure that his warm glow had nothing to do with the lighting. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the successful Christmas party in full swing, Rodimus can't wait to relax and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere with Thunderclash. Except he can't find the big bot anywhere in the crowd...

Although it was still in full swing, Rodimus officially deemed the party a roaring success. Mags’ cheerful music filled the air, mingling with jovial bursts of laughter and the sweet lingering aroma of Riptide’s baking. Preparing all the food at the last minute added a great sensory dimension to the festive atmosphere. After a marathon of decorating, organizing, and furniture moving, the entire event came together beautifully. Just like his unexpected teamwork with Thunderclash.   
  
Rodimus had just finished a complete circuit of the room, personally greeting everyone. Co-captain's duty and all! The overall atmosphere stunned Megatron in silence, which Rodimus proudly took as a sign that he had truly achieved Christmas party nirvana.   
  
Groups of people gathered around the different vid screens they set up, another of Rodimus’ fanciful ideas that Thunderclash helped make a reality, laughing at Rewind’s quirky Christmas movie selections. Everyone had plates of goodies and glasses filled with their drinks of choice. The warmth of his crew’s happiness melted the exhaustion from Rodimus’ tired frame. He still couldn’t believe they got everything done in under 24 hours.   
  
“Hey! What a surprise!” Drift sidled up to him with a mug of toasted hot cocoa and a plate overflowing with fancy pastries. With both hands full, he raised the plate to his mouth and scooped up one festive cookie with his tongue. “Great party!”   
  
“Merry Christmas, Drift!” Rodimus slung an arm around his shoulders. “For once I actually got to surprise you!”   
  
“Thanks, Roddy. I have to say, I’m impressed,” Drift mumbled through a mouth full of energon spice macaron. “How did you pull all this off without anyone hearing about it?”   
  
“The usual way!” Rodimus grinned. “I put it off until the last minute and then rushed around to get everything done on time.”   
  
“Classic! You do it all by yourself?”   
  
“Frag no! I wanted you to be able to enjoy the surprise for a change so I enlisted help from an unexpected source! Someone that I’d been meaning to get to know a little better and this party prep presented the perfect opportunity.”   
  
Rodimus craned his neck to look over the crowd. Whirl darted erratically around the room with Tailgate up on his shoulders swinging a branch of mistletoe festooned with red ribbons at unsuspecting party-goers. Mags and Cyclonus crooned merrily along with the classic “White Christmas.” Swerve, having been revived after he fainted at the sight of the overwhelming number of decorations that Rodimus and Thunderclash put up, sat in the corner of the room with the Scavengers happily playing some kind of group video game involving “Imposters.” Every single member of his crew basked in the cozy glow in this festive space simply enjoying each other’s company.   
  
Everyone but one...   
  
“Weird. How could I lose someone like Thunderclash?” Rodimus scratched his helm and continued scanning the room. Even seated, Thunders towered over almost everyone else. And his multicolor paintwork shimmered like a thousand stars under the rainbow lights.   
  
“THUNDERCLASH?!” Drift almost choked while taking a sip of his sweet drink.   
  
“Yep! Turns out, we work really well together. And I think I might kinda like him? He dropped everything to help me focus on completing all my party planning tasks. We had a great time! But I don’t see him anywhere.”   
  
Riptide bounced past, still wearing his frilly shark apron with professional pride. Somewhere along the line he acquired a fuzzy red Santa hat. The white pompom bobbed gaily as he bopped along. Rodimus waved him over.   
  
“Hey, Riptide! Have you seen Thunders? I can’t find him.”   
  
“Oh yeah! Thunders is taking five in Swerve’s break room. He’s been up for a bit too long and needs to rest for a while. Spark issues and all. Want me to go get him for you?”   
  
“NO! No. I’ll- uh- I'll go find him. Oh! And Riptide? Thanks again for all your help! Allow me to award you the coveted Blue Ribbon Rodimus Star for Baking!” Rodimus presented Riptide with a gleaming Rodimus Star set on a beautiful blue-ribbon rosette that he had Thunderclash make during one of their brief breaks after rearranging the furniture. Another perfect example of their seamless collaboration. 

“OMG!!!” Riptide squealed and promptly pinned it to the front of his apron. He proudly admired the colored lights sparkling across the grinning golden likeness of Rodimus’ face and the silky blue ribbons. “THANK YOU SO MUCH!!”   
  
“Riptide! You made all the snacks?! They’re delicious!!” Drift exclaimed before taking another bite of a manganese mango muffin.   
  
“Thanks! I’m so happy that Roddy let me do it! It was so much fun! Just like on “Bake Off”! I even won my own blue ribbon!” Riptide flashed a shark tooth grin and skipped across the room to join Nautica and Velocity watching “Die Hard” in the “Non-Traditional Christmas Movie” corner.   
  
“I’m gonna go check on Thunders.”   
  
“Good luck!” Drift winked at him with a sly grin, canting his finials back.   
  
“Get out of here!” Rodimus rolled his optics and playfully shoved him away.   
  
“Don’t mind if I do!” Drift snickered. “I’m gonna grab one of these sweet hot cocoas for Ratchet to watch him really enjoy drinking it but pretend to hate it!”   
  
“Have fun with that!” Rodimus laughed. 

“I intend to!” Drift grinned. 

Rodimus shook his head as Drift wandered off. Although... Drift did have a pretty good idea. He made a circuit of the various areas that he and Thunderclash had spent all day arranging and gathered a few supplies. Arms laden with festive goodies, Rodimus made a bee line directly for Swerve’s back room.   
  
“Hey, Thunders? You in here?” Rodimus called as he bumped the door open with his hip.   
  
His frame far too big for the Swerve-sized couch in the room, Thunderclash stretched out on the floor. He leaned back against the wall with his hands folded behind his head.   
  
“Roddy! Do you need a hand?”   
  
When Thunderclash moved to get up, Rodimus shook his head. “Hold it right there! Don’t you dare get up!” Rodimus nudged his way through the door and set his teetering stack of supplies down on the mini end table. He grabbed a huge red plaid fleece blanket and threw it over Thunderclash.   
  
“What is all this?” Thunderclash asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion.   
  
“This,” Rodimus handed him a mug of energon cocoa with a delightful swirl of carbon cream on top, “is my Christmas gift to you, Thunders! You worked so hard to help me arrange everything. Hell, you agreed to help before you even knew what I needed. And we worked so well together! Who knew that so much work could be so much fun?! And also, Riptide totally loved his Blue Ribbon Rodimus Star. Thanks for helping make it!”   
  
“No problem! We did make a great team. And you have a real gift for turning chores into something fun!” Thunderclash smiled that stupid lopsided grin that made Rodimus’ spark do weird things. “I helped figure out how to accomplish your ideas, but the whole vision was yours. You did a fantastic job creating a wonderful party experience for the entire crew. It sounds like everyone is having a great time. I need to take a short break, but you don’t have to. Go ahead out there and enjoy yourself.”   
  
“Thank you, but I’m right where I want to be!” Rodimus flopped down next to Thunderclash on the floor and nestled himself into the blanket as well. He set a plate overflowing with Riptide’s beautiful baked goods between them and tossed a spiced rust cookie to Thunderclash.   
  
“Mmm! My favorite! Thanks!” Thunderclash popped the cookie in his mouth. “It's okay if you want to mingle with the rest of the crew. My health is much better, but my scars still force me to take breaks once in a while. Although I’m used to spending that time by myself, I would never turn down some company.” Hope sparkled in Thunderclash’s deep magenta optics.   
  
“Honestly, after all the work we did, I’m pretty tired too. We can both get a bit of rest while we watch a movie together.” Rodimus stretched and lazily leaned against Thunderclash’s large frame. He fiddled with the remote for the small vid screen in the corner of the break room. “I have a real holiday classic queued up: Fast and Furious 8!”   
  
“Are you kidding me?! How is that a Christmas classic?” Thunderclash snorted.   
  
“It’s all about family and it ends at the North Pole.”   
  
“Hmm... fair enough! I’ll buy it! Can we make comments on it the whole time?”   
  
“Absolutely! I wouldn’t have it any other way!”   
  
“Too bad Swerve’s couch is too small. It’s a little chilly sitting on the floor.” Thunderclash shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around himself.   
  
“Say no more!” Rodimus stoked his inner fire and warmed his frame to a toasty glow. He hit play on the movie and the vid screen lit up with the studio’s opening logo animations.   
  
“Ooo! You’re so warm! Thank you!” Thunderclash automatically snuggled a little closer. His massive engine rumbled a contented purr.   
  
“Ask and you shall receive! But seriously, I want to thank you for helping me so much today.” Rodimus nestled comfortably against the large bot’s side.   
  
“It was no trouble. All I did was move a bit of furniture. Anybody could have done it.”   
  
“You did a hell of a lot more than rearrange tables and hang up lights!” Rodimus nudged his shoulder. “You helped _ME_. Your idea of talking about one thing at a time helped me focus. Things never felt like they got out of hand. We did everything that I wanted and more! And it never stressed me out. Working with you today didn’t feel like working at all.”   
  
“Aww! Thank you, Roddy!” Thunderclash beamed. His face glowed a soft pink. “And thanks for taking time out of the party to watch a movie with me. I really needed to take a break, but I didn’t really want to miss out on anything. By bringing all this stuff, you’ve brought the party to me! You just turned the time that I was dreading into my favorite part of the evening!”   
  
“Really?! Me too! I'm not gonna lie, Thunders; we make a great team!” Rodimus grinned.   
  
The ridiculous opening scene of Vin Diesel racing a classic car literally on fire along a Cuban beach set Thunderclash to giggling. The revving of his large engine tickled Rodimus’ frame so pleasantly. When the car whipped around to drive in nitro-boosted reverse to victory, Thunderclash made the “beep-beep-beep" back-up noise and Rodimus lost it.   
  
“Merry Christmas, Thunders!” Rodimus raised his mug of cocoa in between fits of laughter.   
  
“Merry Christmas, Roddy!” Thunderclash smiled and clinked Rodimus’ mug with his own.   
  
Joyous bursts of laughter and melodious singing from his celebrating crew filtered into the little break room. The intoxicating aroma of Riptide’s baking lingered in the air. Rodimus sipped his rich energon hot cocoa and utterly relaxed. Surrounded by his family, watching one of his favorite movies while cozily cuddled up in a blanket on the floor with Thunderclash... 

Rodimus never felt so at home in his entire life. 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading!
> 
> I appreciate your kudos and love reading your comments!!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at: [lush-specimen.tumblr.com](lush-specimen.tumblr.com)


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